Tymoshenko refuses to concede election defeat

OPPOSITION leader Viktor Yanukovych emerged as the apparent winner in Ukraine’s presidential contest yesterday, holding onto a lead of almost 3% with about 99% of ballots counted.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has accused her opponent of election fraud, was under pressure to concede after international vote monitors yesterday called the ballot “professional, transparent and honest.”

A Yanukovych victory would close a chapter in the country’s political history by ousting the pro-Western leadership of the past five years, which foundered due to internal divisions, fierce opposition from Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine and the collapse of the economy.